South is another restaurant I visited during the Appetite Stimulus Plan event. I was there with two of the guys I work with for a quick lunch and we had a fabulous time.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I hate drippy salads and this one was just perfect. My only tiny small complaint is when the lettuce leaves are just so darn big. But I think I can get over that.

The previous time I was here I had the fish and chips, which are outstanding and bursting with flavor. I particularly enjoy their wine list as it’s totally unique and not the same old California and French wines. They’ve got wines from Tasmania and Australia and the way the break it up on the wine list is really fun.

Why is South so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)
Food: 8
Drinks: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Price: $30/person
Summary: Must go!

I’ve been back to CandyBar and Boulevard since my reviews of both of them. They both got much better the second time.

While I still think Candybar is a bit misguided, they did tell me that they are in the process of re-doing the menu to improve it even more. It’s a great place to go after dinner to have one more drink and something sweet. The atmosphere just can’t be beat either.

I know my review of Boulevard was rather shocking since Boulevard seems to have quite the following around here. I think their filet is just a bit of a let down. I got the short ribs this second time and really enjoyed them. They just had so much more flavor than that silly filet! It could also be that we were able to have some fabulous wine since it was a special occasion. Patz & Hall Durrell Chardonnay and a Hope & Grace pinot noir. The wine alone made the experience.

That’s all for now.

Candy Bar just opened about a week ago. It’s in Western Addition area of SF, which I’m sure most of you know has a horrible problem with parking. We drove around for 40 minutes looking for parking. I’m no exaggerating either. We finally parked at Fulton and Masonic in the Lucky parking garage and took a cab down there since it was raining.

Their big idea is to do dessert with a new twist of flavors. A lot of those flavors ended up being savory. They have a dessert tasting menu as well as a very limited savory menu.

We had made a reservation when we called and asked if they had valet parking about 20 minutes prior. It was mostly full of people when we walked in on Friday around 8pm. Heston and I decided to each do the dessert tasting menu so we could try the most dishes. ($14/each) You each get to choose two desserts to try, plus an amuse and mignardise. Here is how it went:

Amuse - Sparkling Meyer lemonade- It tasted a bit minty kind of bubblegum like. Heston’s first reaction was a toothpaste taste. Not that impressive.

Chevre Cheesecake- Coconut sorbet, nicoise olive, caramel- This was the best thing all night, but it was still lacking. It definitely wasn’t cheesecake like. You expect there to be some sort of crumbly crust and there isn’t. It was more of a custard. The taste was unique though.

Warm Vanilla Cake- pickled mango with olive oil- It was just okay. Not much wow factor here. It was warm, which might have been the best part. The pickled mango was nice and added a very different contrast of flavor.

Chocolate Brioche- Balsamic, caramel ice cream, lime yogurt- Everyone is going to laugh, but this tasted totally burned. It looked great, but it did not deliver in your mouth at all! Something was just off. The flavor profile was not dessert like in the slightest.

Blood Orange Baked Alaska-candied fennel, hone comb- Surprising…ly good. Seemed a bit unfocused though. The candied blood orange was again a nice contrast. The fact that the entire thing was so cold took away from it.

Overall Candy Bar was just okay. I’m not sure if I’ll be back though.

Why is Candy Bar so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)

Food: 5

Drinks: 5.5

Atmosphere: 7.5

Price: $22/person

Summary- Check it out if you’re in the area!

I took Heston to Bouchon in Yountville for his birthday. We had tried to go while we were in Vegas, but they were closed for a private event. It was perfect because we were in Yountville for the day picking up our wine club shipment at Goosecross and had a great day doing some tastings. Bouchon is the little sister of the famed French Laundry, also in Yountville.

We ordered a bottle of Hirsch Vinyards 2006 Pinot Noir Bohan Dillon. It had a great earth flavor with some blackberry and vanilla flavors as well.

It was recommended that we try the mussels here so we did. Wow. So wonderfully fresh. They were perfect. We shared those as well as a simple green salad with goat cheese. Both were fantastic!

For my main course I ordered the Coquille St. Jacques- seared sea scallops with piquillo peppers, asparagus, marcona almonds, green garlic & chorizo broth. Heston thought it was weird to put chorizo and scallops together. I disagree. The flavor of the chorizo gave the scallops a welcome bit of spice! The wine was a great compliment.

Ever since we went to Boulevard a few weeks ago Heston is obsessed with ribs. He ordered the Plats de Cotes de Boeuf- slow braised beef short ribs, spring onions, horseradish pain perdu & red wine beef jus. He seemed to think that the flavor a much flatter than at Boulevard, but he wants me to be sure to mention that they were still fantastic.

Dessert was a plate of profiteroles and so rich and wonderful. The ice cream was fresh and delightful. A great and memorable experience overall.

Why is Bouchon so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)

Food: 8

Drinks: 8

Atmosphere: 8

Price: $80/person

Summary: Must go!

Kru is a Japanese restaurant in Sacramento that I discovered with my good friend, Lauren (who lives in Sac), and my boyfriend, Heston, one night when the sushi place we wanted to go to was closed. It’s been quite a wonderful discovery because we go there everytime we’re in town now. It’s festive enough for a special occasion weekend and not snotty enough to make you stay away on a Tuesday night.

The sushi is fresh and is served in long glass plates that make it really look like art. Kru offers a bunch of unique rolls that you don’t see anywhere else. It’s their own approach to Japanese food and sushi.

I recommend ordering some sake bombs to start off and noshing on the edemame while you figure out what rolls to get. Kru just added a new roll called the great white that is calamari tempura, cucumbers topped with avocado, hokkaido scallops, sweet chili, spicy cream sauces, tobiko, and green onions. Wow…it’s like a party in your mouth. Another favorite is the “hapa hapa” which is salmon, crab, and albacore lightly fried with garlic cream and sweet chili glaze on top. They serve this one in a bowl and it’s quite large. You can find their full menu here.

I know it’s not that close to SF or even near The Bay, but you’ve got to try it on the way back from Tahoe if you’re in the neighborhood!

Ratings (out of 10):

Food: 7.5

Atmosphere: 6.5

Okay so this is a review I’m really excited to write. Screamin’ Mimi’s is an ice cream parlor in Sebastopol that I’ve been to many times, but that I just paid a long overdue visit to again.

Screamin’ Mimi’s opened in 1995 and they make all their own ice cream with all natural ingredients. For those that don’t do the dairy thing they have other options for you as well. Lots of sorbet! They price everything based on weight so you basically choose what size you want and they’ll add as much as you like.

I recommend getting the “Mimi’s Mud” ice cream. It’s got everything you could ever want in ice cream: oreos, fudge, and coffee.

The walls are painted with all kinds of crazy designs and the atmosphere is fun an jovial. You’ve just gotta try this stuff to believe how amazing it is!

Ratings (out of 10):

Food: 8.5

Atmosphere: 7

Okay…let’s get serious here. Mamacita is on my list of most favorite SF spots. Maybe it’s that I’ve always had such a great time here or that the entire place is just so darn festive.

I’ve been here countless times and I’m not sick of it. Mamacita just does fancy Mexican food right. It’s everything you love about Mexican food and then it’s just done up in a very pretty way in the presentation. First, they make the most amazing mojitos in SF. Go have a Mojito and even just one small plate. You’ll be hooked.

Here is my list of must haves on Mamacita’s menu:

- Callos de Mula (pan-seared day boat scallops with red mole cream, sauteed sweet corn and delicata squash)

- Camaron al Pastor (achiote spiced gulf prawn tacos with grilled pineapple and green apple-tomatillo salsa)

- Pollo Taqueria (crispy chicken tacos with ancho chile salsa, queso oaxaca, shredded lettuce and fresh crema)

- Enchiladas Rancheros (braised meyer ranch tri-tip enchiladas baked with oaxacan mole coloradito and fresh chevre)

If you get a mojito and those four things to share with a friend…you’ll be sold too.

The atmosphere is trendy with a lot of the after work crowd rolling in around 7pm. It’s very warm and welcoming and totally a place that makes you want to hang out for a long time.

I’ve planned large parties at Mamacita and they were very accommodating which is getting harder and harder to find in The City.

You can find the menu here.

Why is Mamacita so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)

Food: 9

Drinks: 9

Atmosphere: 8

Price: $30/person